I’ve been sewing away making larger diapers for baby J. He’s 25 pounds and five months old so squeezing his bottom into the medium diapers just isn’t working. The ones I’m making are double lined with a soaker in the middle. I use two layers of printed flannel and one layer of terry (I used one of my older towels).

This time around, I used a size 4 disposable diaper as the template for my pattern. I pinned the diaper to a piece of scrap fabric with the tabs out so that I could get a better fit. Once I cut the diaper pattern out, I had a really nice sized diaper. I really could only get about two or three per yard of fabric. Three was really pushing it but I was able to work it out. The most important thing for me was getting the diapers sized so that there would be room for growth. So as long as I could do that, I was prepared to live with two diapers per yard.

I lined up the diaper template with two layered pieces of flannel fabric so that my leftover fabric wasn’t so oddly shaped that it couldn’t be used for something. I wish I had remembered to do that on my first cut but I certainly learned from my mistake. So I was able to use my scraps for soaker pads that I’ll insert during baby’s heavy wet periods (like when he’s sleeping).

I used PUL for my outer layer. Pul is a polyurethane laminated fabric that is waterproof, stretchable and washable. All three of these are very important because I wash my diapers in hot water. So I cut-out the PUL (again, about three to a yard for my large sized diapers) to keep the diapers from leaking through.

The inside of my diapers is where I sewed the soaker pad to my two piece (layered) flannel diaper shaped cut-out. I did this by placing my soaker in the middle of my flannel diaper cut-outs and then sewing the soaker completely around the flannel diaper cut-outs (pinned together so they wouldn’t separate). It sort of looked like I had a pad in the center of it. My soaker pad was the length of the diaper cut out from front to back and it was just about a half inch short of the leg area of my cut-out because I wanted to have complete absorbency through the entire diaper and not just the front. After I sewed in my diaper soaker, I sewed a quarter inch piece of elastic around the outside edge of the diaper, pulling the elastic as I sewed so that my finished diaper would fit nicely around the legs and I won’t have many leaks.

Once I finished that, I sewed on front latch part of some velcro (also purchased from my local fabric store). Then I took the elastic sewn flannel with my soaker attached and sewed it to my PUL diaper cut out around three sides of the diaper. I did have to gently pull the elastic flannel piece to line up with the PUL. I sewed this together with the non soaker side facing the shiny side of the PUL.

Once I was done, I turned the diaper inside out so that the shiny PUL was on the outside and the inside of my diaper showed the flannel. The soaker was unseen and between the dull part of the PUL and the other side of the flannel. Then I folded the PUL around the upper edge and sewed the diaper closed. I did stitch around the outer side of the diaper with a final stitching. I feel for the elastic as I sew and stitch to the left on the outside. It looks a lot neater when I do this final touch but it’s not necessary. That completed my diaper.

On the note of soaker pads, soaker pads have saved me many a day, and they’re so easy to make. You can make them from a cut up old towel or you can use a washcloth and place it right in the middle of two cute pieces of flannel. (It really doesn’t matter if the flannel is cute since they’ll be under baby’s buns but I like to use the cutesy baby prints when I make them.) You sew them around the seams and you’re done. If you have a serger, that makes things even easier or you can opt to use bias tape around the edges for a more professional finish. You can use soaker pads separately as diaper inserts for extra absorbency when baby’s sleeping or when you’re out.

I’ve saved a lot of money using cloth diapers and soakers. I’ve never really had a problem with leakage or smell or anything using these diapers and I wash them once daily.

One resource for diaper sewing is verybaby.com. They even sell pre-made diapers. They can be a little costly compared to some of my local places so I, personally, don’t buy there; however, the selection is wonderful. They also sell hemp and birds eye, which provide beautiful absorption if you wanted to use that in place of the terry for the soakers.

I’ll need an estimated 25 diapers to last me (and so I can feel less burden to quickly wash and dry my diapies). However, I’m only on my second set of three so I have a long way to go (about 5 hours of sewing). In between, I”m hoping to get some of my Valentine’s Day crafts done for the store (not included in my five hour estimate). Aye! Well, no stress.

I’d be interested in hearing any experiences with Very Baby, or if there are any other preferred diaper supply vendors out there.

I love a cute apron. I’ve come up with a few patterns on my own and they’ve ranged from the “country cottage apron” to the “you just look too cute while you’re doing housework” apron. I wear them based on how I’m feeling for the day. Today I’m feeling as though the “walk around the house and look cute” apron may just help me flutter through my morning chores a wee bit quicker. I just love how an apron can express a mood.

I have to admit that I have my days when I feel pretty frumpy and throw on something just to get through the day. However, when I pull out my aprons, I’m inspired just a bit. I don’t own one apron that says, “Complain and murmur” so I generally have to check my attitude when I go the the apron station.

There are aprons for so many purpose. For example, there are hostess aprons, cleaning aprons, cookery aprons, and the list goes on. Once you combine style with purpose, an apron can go quite a long way. Custom made aprons give a really personal feel to your apron and can even create memories. I’m planning a hope chest for my girls and will most certainly have a couple of wonderful aprons in there for them.

Aprons can say so many things about how I feel. In fact’m off to begin my venture of creating some new patterns as this blog as just inspired my creative juices. If you’re a bit of a seamstress, try some of the cute patterns in the book, “Sew, So Cute!” It has the cutest things to try in there. I just got a copy for my girls to pick some sewing projects (since they’re pretty fond of aprons also).

Whenever I look up info on the quiverfull movement, the first family that pops up is the Duggar family. Then come the comments. I’m always amazed at how negative people are about the Duggar’s choice to have as many gifts that the Lord blesses them with.

It’s saddens me to live in a society where it’s deemed normal to shoot for one boy and one girl to complete our family circle, push them off on an array of activities throughout childhood to keep them busy, and then scoot them out of the door to begin their own lives. I find it disheartening to engage in conversation with moms who appear so burdened by their children that they can’t wait to enter into a phase of life where they can do other things.

The sadness that I feel about this mindset is just that, sadness, namely due to living in a culture where what God deems a gift is viewed as a curse. I also find it quite disappointing that such a society feels the need to so harshly scrutinize a family for minding their own biblical values. Although I’m not a faithful viewer of their show, “19 and Counting,” I have followed the Duggars for awhile now and find their dedication quite inspiring. Their quiverfull views are based on the scripture Psalm 127, which states, “Happy [is] the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” The joy that you see when you look at this family certainly doesn’ t come from their conformation to societal expectations. In fact, I would securely say that such joy comes straight from the promise of following the scripture, which is what enables this family to smile and contently turn their heads from the brash and rude remarks about their choices.

It’s definitely a cold and cruel world we live in when a family can share such good wonderful things such as love, joy, contentment, kindness, manners and the like within the walls of their home and be so harshly judged for it. In particular, the Duggar Family has expressed these traits and I’ve never heard them place a mandate on anyone else to do what they’re doing. In fact, mom has often stated that it is their choice to let God control the size of their family. She’s raising her young to contribute these wonderful traits to this world, which would certainly be beneficial in many areas of life.

In my opinion, a quiverfull of arrows (children) isn’t a negative thing at all particularly when they’re being trained to shoot such wonderful character traits into such a nasty world. However, I it appears to be far more acceptable in society to care for several animals, nurturing them, clothing them, providing organic meals, and smothering them with hugs and kisses than to offer the same love and nurturing towards a human being who will eventually contribute to the world in which we live. I think it may even be safe to say that such negativity towards another person’s personal decision to let God control the size of his family may have more to do with a personal conviction within the oneself. We should all strive to look at those things that large families will contribute to our world such as a larger number of diligent workers to contribute to the lacking social security funds. Then let’s not bash them but support the strength, of such families.